This invention relates to a novel process for improving the flame resistance of upholstered furniture, and especially of upholstery fabrics, and to upholstered furniture, upholstery fabrics, furniture padding, mattresses, and box springs, having improved flame resistance.
Upholstered furniture, while providing comfort to the user and esthetic appeal to the viewer, often is a major fire hazard in the home or in a public place. A careless cigarette smoker, for example, may set an upholstered chair or sofa aflame by allowing a burning cigarette to rest on the cover fabric. Furthermore, in case of fire on the premises, upholstered furniture burns easily and contributes to the spreading of the fire. It is expected that the U.S. government through its Consumer Safety Protection Agency will shortly promulgate certain minimum safety requirements, which upholstered furniture will have to satisfy in order to qualify for sales in interstate commerce.
Upholstered furniture usually contains the following structural components: (1) a frame, which may be open or closed; if open, it also contains a webbing; (2) springs; (3) padding or stuffing; and (4) covering. The frame is most often made of wood but may also be made of metal or plastic or any combination of those materials. The springs usually are made of metal but may be made of rubber straps. In certain types of furniture the springs are omitted.
For the purpose of the present invention, the term "upholstered furniture" also includes beds and bed components, such as mattresses and box springs. A mattress usually consists of a cover fabric, a padding, and springs or a cover fabric and an elastomeric padding without springs. A box spring contains a frame and springs and usually is covered with a fabric, which normally is protected from contact with the springs by a padding. The padding is the main cause of high furniture flammability because of the nature of the materials used therein. Most upholstered furniture manufactured today uses polyurethane foam cushions for the seats and often also for the backs. Polyurethane foam also is often used as padding in mattresses. However, such foam is highly flammable. Other types of padding include pillows filled with polyester fabric, cellulosic fiber, and rubberized hair. Those materials are flammable not only because of their chemical compositions but also because of their loose, fibrous structure. The covering fabric may be made of just about any fiber or fiber blend, including polypropylene, nylon, polyester, rayon, cotton, and wool. The fabric may be coated with a plastic or elastomeric coating such as, for example, polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane. Some of those fabrics are less flammable than others, but even those that are not readily ignited on contact with a source of fire (such as, for example, a burning cigarette) melt at the high temperature of that source and thus expose the more flammable padding material underneath.
It is apparent from the above brief discussion that the fire hazard could be reduced most effectively if the total construction were made less hazardous. Making either fabric or padding more flame resistant does not necessarily improve the safety of the complete upholstered structure, for example, a piece of furniture.